Dieta Dash

Y O U R

G U I D E

T O

Lowering Your Blood Pressure With DASH

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES National Institutes of Health National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

YOUR

GUIDE TO

Lowering Your Blood Pressure With DASH

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
National Institutes of Health National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute NIH Publication No.06-4082 Originally Printed 1998 Revised April 2006

Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 What Is High Blood Pressure?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 What Is the DASH Eating Plan? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 How Do I Make the DASH?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 How Can I Get Started on the DASH Eating Plan?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 A Week With the DASH Eating Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Recipes for Heart Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 To Learn More . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Contents

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RICARDO

ELEY

“

My doctor noticed my blood pressure was a little high. I try to be more aware of the foods I eat. I limit alcohol, and watch my portions. I also work out 5–7 days a week. My son is learning from me and is doing the same things I do.

”

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Introduction
What you choose toeat affects your chances of developing high blood pressure, or hypertension (the medical term). Recent studies show that blood pressure can be lowered by following the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan—and by eating less salt, also called sodium. While each step alone lowers blood pressure, the combination of the eating plan and a reduced sodium intake gives the biggestbenefit and may help prevent the development of high blood pressure. This booklet, based on the DASH research findings, tells how to follow the DASH eating plan and reduce the amount of sodium you consume. It offers tips on how to start and stay on the eating plan, as well as a week of menus and some recipes. The menus and recipes are given for two levels of daily sodium consumption— 2,300 and 1,500milligrams per day. Twenty-three hundred milligrams is the highest level considered acceptable by the National High Blood Pressure Education Program. It is also the highest amount recommended for healthy Americans by the 2005 “U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans.” The 1,500 milligram level can lower blood pressure further and more recently is the amount recommended by the Institute of Medicineas an adequate intake level and one that most people should try to achieve. The lower your salt intake is, the lower your blood pressure. Studies have found that the DASH menus containing 2,300 milligrams of sodium can lower blood pressure and that an even lower level of sodium, 1,500 milligrams, can further reduce blood pressure. All the menus are lower in sodium than what adults in the UnitedStates currently eat—about 4,200 milligrams per day in men and 3,300 milligrams per day in women.
Introduction

Those with high blood pressure and prehypertension may benefit especially from following the DASH eating plan and reducing their sodium intake.

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L I L LY

KRAMER

“

My family’s food choices have always been pretty good. We eat a lot of fruit, vegetables, and low-fatyogurt.

”

Your Guide to Lowering Your Blood Pressure With DASH

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What Is High Blood Pressure?
Blood pressure is the force of blood against artery walls. It is measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg) and recorded as two numbers—systolic pressure (when the heart beats) over diastolic pressure (when the heart relaxes between beats). Both numbers are important. (See box 1 on page 4.)...